A/N: Here's the last bit for the Charming Fairy Tavern episode and then some. Hope you like it.

Also, I drew a better version of Amos without his armor. Check it out on my profile

Disclaimer: I do not own Zero no Tsukaima or Cardfight! Vanguard.

Chapter 11

All of the people present to witness the newcomer's outburst backed away in fear as he dashed forward at an incredible speed. As quickly as he came, he seemingly disappeared.

"W-What?!" Chulenne gaped as he looked around frantically for his attacker.

"Boss! The girl is gone!" one of his guards said, showing the empty space in his arms where Jessica used to be.

"Look over there!" another guard said. All eyes turned to the other side of the room to see Amos crouched low with Jessica in his arms, his eyes covered by the bangs of his hair. She looked up at Amos in surprise and gazed at the side of his face.

"Amos!" she said. "Where did… Where did you come from?"

"…" Amos said nothing as his eyes came into view. Jessica let out a small gasp under her breath upon seeing Amos's eyes. No longer were they the bright green she had seen when he first came here or the cold green from the past few days.

They were full of pure, unbridled rage. Jessica then rubbed her eyes as if she couldn't believe what she saw. For a moment, she thought she had seen strange red markings appear under Amos's eyes.

"Amos?" Jessica asked again, this time with a hint of fear in her voice. Instead of responding, Amos stood to his full height and helped Jessica on her feet.

"Stand back." He ordered coldly. Jessica gulped as she did what she was told, helping Louise up as well.

"You okay?" Jessica asked.

"I'm fine." Louise replied. "But I've got to help Amos!"

As she tried to get up to go to Amos, Jessica pulled her away.

"What are you doing? Let me go!" Louise demanded.

"He told us to stay back! Just trust him!" Jessica said while dragging Louise to the sidelines over to where Scarron and the other girls were. Both of them were greeted with hugs and tears of joy at their safety.

"Oh my dear Jessica! Little Louise! You're okay!" Scarron cried while bear hugging both the girls.

"Dad…! Can't breathe!" Jessica wheezed while Louise's face was turning blue. Scarron released his grip, allowing the girls to catch their breath.

"So, what's the deal with Amos? He's like a totally different person." Asked Jessica.

"I don't know. This is the first time I've ever seen him angry." Replied Louise.

"Such insolence! Who are you?!" Chulenne demanded while pointing his finger at Amos. His guards readied their wands while Amos simply glared them down.

Back on the sidelines Louise held her hands close to her chest, her expression a mixture of fear and worry.

"Get him!" Chulenne ordered his men. They all pulled out their wands and prepared to cast a spell. Before they could do so, Amos quickly lunged in front of one of them and swung his elbow across their face. The guard went down on the floor hard, his head in a daze and few of his teeth missing. Amos's speed shocked the other guards and they stopped in their tracks.

Turning back to the main group, Amos continued to stare them down in silence which caused some to unconsciously step back.

"W-What are you fools doing?!" Chulenne spat. "It's only one man! Use your magic already, simpletons!"

Snapping out of their shock, Chulenne's men raised their wands once more to prepare a spell. Then, they heard their Lord's enemy mutter a single word in a cold, monotonous voice that sent chills down their spine.

"Lock."

[Insert – PSY Qualia no Chikara]

Amos raised his hand and pointed his index and middle finger at the guardsmen. Black rings with a red outline formed around both his fingers before they were launched at the guards' hands. Their hands were bound together, forcing them to drop their wands.

"What the hell is this?!" one of them panicked.

"I can't move my hands!" another cried.

While chaos ensued among them, Amos began to approach them with his fingers twitching at his sides. His presence began to overwhelm the men as their knees began to shake violently. Some were already on down on their knees as they could nothing but stare into the face of death itself. Green eyes as cold as ice stared back at them and beneath them were red markings that made it appear as if he was crying blood.

"Those markings…" Jessica muttered under her breath. "I knew I wasn't imagining things!"

Louise had a different reaction, however.

"What's going on? I thought he said he couldn't use magic other than the Blaster Blade!" she said to herself.

With Amos veering ever nearer to them, one of the guards ran toward him in desperation in the hopes of hitting his head with his bound hands. He never got close as Amos's hand met his face mid-way and slammed his head into the floor, shattering the wood. His expression remained neutral and his gaze never left the other guards, scaring them even more.

"M-Monster!" they began to shout before running toward the exit. Amos extended his fingers once again and uttered a single word.

"Lock."

The same rings formed at his finger tips and launched themselves outward, this time binding the men's legs which caused them to fall on their faces. They were now yelling and screaming like women by this point with tears streaming down their faces. Chulenne was frozen place by the sight of his men at his feet, unable to comprehend what was happening as he could do nothing but watch the carnage that was about to occur in front of him.

The spectators on the side looked away, not wanting to see the ensuing chaos except for Louise and Jessica.

The first guard was lifted by the throat before being thrown up to the ceiling, his head shattering wood and his body falling back down like a rag doll.

The second guard was kicked aside like garbage and was sent flying through the wall.

Two guards stood up to run but were quickly slammed back into the ground face first with Amos's hands at the back of their heads.

Finally, with his makeshift barrier that was his guards gone, all that was left was Chulenne was now sitting on the ground in absolute fear.

"P-Please, don't hurt me!" Chulenne pleaded. His voice fell upon deaf ears as Amos grabbed him by the throat and lifted him up in the air, choking him. Chulenne's voice strangled in the back of his throat as he struggled to breathe, snot and tears pouring out of his nose and eyes.

Louise had had enough.

"Amos, stop! You've done enough!" Louise called out. Amos didn't stop and continued to choke Chulenne. Realizing that words weren't enough, Louise ran out toward him.

"Wait, Louise!" Jessica yelled in an attempt to stop her. Ignoring her, Louise kept approaching Amos until she wrapped her arms around his waist at his side.

"Enough already…" she choked. "I don't like seeing you like this… Open your eyes, Amos!"

[End BGM]

….

A familiar voice sounded in my head telling me to stop. Whose was it? Who was it that dared to tell me to stop hurting the people who has caused others so much pain? No, they needed to be punished. They have been allowed to run free for far too long. I'll kill them, I'll destroy them, and I'll devour them until there's not a trace of them left!

Yes… Just like this corrupt man in my hand. Just a bit more and he'll be dead. Just a bit more… More… More…! MORE!

"Open your eyes, Amos!"

My eyes widened as I recognized the voice. I dropped Chulenne to the ground where he gasped desperately for air.

"Louise…?" I muttered, looking down to where she was holding onto me.

"Amos?" Louise said while looking up at me.

"What… What was I…?"

Her grip tightened as if she was holding onto me for dear life.

"You were… You were…" Louise tried to speak, her sobs getting the best of her. I sunk to my knees in despair, allowing Louise to hold onto me by my chest. The events that had just occurred mere moments ago were now clear in my head.

I had been Reversed.

It was still inside me, the killer I had become. There was no use denying it for the proof was obvious. My memories had caused me snap just from the sight of Jessica taking Louise's place, just like my sister did. It should have been me that day, not her! What did she do to deserve such a horrible end?! I wanted to cry, to let out this well of emotions building up inside me but the tears wouldn't come out.

I truly had become a monster, one who couldn't even shed tears for a loved one.

Later that evening…

Louise revealed to Scarron, Jessica and the other girls that she was a noble working for the Princess and that I was a knight working for her. When Jessica had asked why Louise was crying at my actions, she refused to answer. Respecting our privacy, she waved it off and apologized and decided not to touch upon it again. Scarron explained that it was their policy to not care about such things, which Louise appreciated.

With the official document concerning corrupt nobles, Chulenne was swiftly arrested as well as all his men. Thankfully, I didn't kill any of them but they were all badly wounded. I had avoided the worst this time but what if I completely lose myself next time?

Louise and I now stood outside the Tavern, saying our goodbyes.

"It will be lonely here without you, Louise." Jessica said. I had seen how the two became friends in the past few days and it was great to know that Louise made a good friend.

"I'll visit, next time as a customer." She replied. "I refuse to wear that uniform ever again!"

"But it looked so good on you, Little Louise!" Scarron giggled. Louise fumed at this which only led to more laughter by whole Tavern staff.

Jessica then came up to me, taking my hands in hers.

"Thank you, Amos." She said. "If it weren't for you, I'd be…"

"That's right!" Scarron spoke up, his eyes tearing up. "You have my eternal gratitude for saving my daughter from that evil Chulenne's clutches! How could I ever repay you?"

They weren't scared of me? Even after what I had did in front of them? How could they thank me after witnessing what came close to manslaughter? I was envious of their ignorance for it was truly such a blissful thing to have.

"Why?" I asked, garnering confused looks from Jessica and Scarron.

"What do you mean, 'why'?" Jessica asked. "It's only natural to thank someone after they saved a life, no?"

"I nearly came close to murdering someone. How can you be thankful for that?"

They remained silent for a few moments.

"It's true that murdering someone, noble or not, isn't right. I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't have been happy to have Chulenne dead." Jessica admitted.

"Jessica!" Scarron exclaimed at her statement.

"But the fact is that you did it to protect others, that's what matters right?" she finished.

If it was to protect others… then it was fine? It was still murder. Those thoughts I had when I was about to choke Chulenne to death were certainly mine. It didn't matter if I was just protecting the weak. You can't protect anyone if you aren't willing to kill, which was the harsh truth. Murder is murder and nothing you do can change that.

Still, I hung onto her words. Even if they sugarcoated the reality, I clung to them like they were my hope.

"Well, I think we'd best get going now." Louise said as she mounted a horse we had procured. I got on after her, taking the front and the reins. With a snap of my arms, we were off with Jessica, Scarron, and the other girls yelling us a farewell.

As we rode along, I felt Louise give my waist a squeeze as she held on.

"Louise." I spoke, which caught her attention immediately. "About what happened… I promise that I'll explain everything, so..."

My grip on the reins tightened.

"It's okay." She said. I froze at her words.

"What?"

"You don't have to tell me everything now. You're… in a lot of pain right now, right? I'll wait until you're ready."

"But-"

"This is an order from your master! Understand?" she cut me off. We then rode in silence, the sound of the wind and horse's steps the only things hanging in the air. Finally, I found my voice to speak.

"Thank you."

I didn't know how, but I knew that Louise was smiling in relief behind me as we rode on.

It was dark by the time we returned to the Academy, barely making the curfew. We put the horse in the stables and immediately headed to the room. Louise was knocked out as soon as she laid face down on her bed and I couldn't help but smile at her while I tucked her in bed properly. I stroked her hair lightly, her breathing becoming more peaceful.

"I'm sorry." I whispered, my smile turning into a sorrowful one.

"You sure, partner?" Derflinger spoke up. "After all that, you're still leaving her alone?"

"Derflinger, did any of your previous partners have a past that they wished not to talk about?"

"Sure did." He replied. "In fact, weren't so much different than you. Although in your case, I've never seen someone cling so desperately to their sanity. The rest ended up killing themselves. I'm impressed."

"How'd you know?"

"You can't anything from me, partner. I'm connected to your runes and they're a part of you so… figure out the rest." Derflinger explained.

"Hmph, then you should already know why I'm doing this." I jested.

"You could at least try to get over it, y'know?"

I clenched my fists before turning toward the door.

"Some wounds aren't healable."

The Palace Dungeon

Around the same time as this was happening, Fouquet sat quietly in her cell, the moonlight shining down through the airway and onto her sleeping form.

A cloaked man with a mask covering the top half of his face walked up to the bars. This man had long gray hair but the lower half of his face looked youthful, indicating his gray hair color was natural and not a sign of old age. His presence alerted Fouquet, causing her to snap awake.

"What do you want at this hour?" she asked.

"I've come to pick up our comrade." The masked man replied while he opened the cell door. Realizing he was from the same organization as she was, her eyes widened in surprise.

"You're from the Reconquista as well?"

"That's right, Fouquet. Or rather, should I call you Matilda of South Gotha?"

The next day…

My eyes fluttered open upon being hit with the rays of the morning sun. I had chosen to sleep outside near the fountain to let the calming sound of running water lull me to sleep. As I tried to get up, I noticed that a blanket had been placed on me. Where did this come from?

"Ah, you're awake, Amos?" I heard a familiar voice ask. Looking over I saw Siesta walking up to me.

"Did you do this?" I asked while holding up the blanket.

"Oh, yes. I was heading back to my room after my kitchen duties when I noticed you sleeping out here. I was going to wake you but you looked tired. So, I brought a blanket!"

"Thank you." I said, handing back the blanket.

"You're welcome." She replied. "Did you just return last night?"

"Yes. I had… a rather rough day yesterday." I said with a hint of sadness.

"You must be hungry! Why not come to the kitchen? I'm sure Marteau would love to cook you something after having not seen you for days!" Siesta suggested.

My stomach growled at that moment, reminding me of my fatigue.

"…That would be nice." I said a bit sheepishly. Siesta giggled at this before helping me up and dragging me over to the kitchen. On our way there I noticed the lack of students around the campus. It was quite literally empty.

"Where are all the students?" I asked.

"Oh, it's the Summer holidays so they're all off school for a few months until the Fall." Siesta explained. It was Summer already? Time sure does fly by fast here. It was also somewhat comforting to know that this world wasn't so different in terms of education with Cray. Summer appears to be staple in taling time off education no matter where you were.

"Why didn't you leave for a break?"

"I still have work to do before I can head back home. Besides, I rather like it here." Siesta said.

"Darling!" I heard a girl's voice call. I turned around and stumbled back a bit to find Kirche burying herself on my chest.

"Kirche." I acknowledged.

"I haven't seen you in days and that's all you have to say? I'm sad." Kirche pouted. "I was sure you went back to Louise's home since you and she haven't been seen in days."

"We were running errands." I said.

I heard footsteps and looked up to see Tabitha coming up to us, her eyes buried in her book as usual.

"I'm sorry Darling, but I have to leave you even though we were just reunited. I'm going to go visit Tabitha's home, so have a nice vacation!" Kirche chirped before releasing her grip on me and taking off with Tabitha following behind her.

"Um," Siesta started, sadness evident in her tone of voice. "Are you and Miss Zerbst close?"

"No." I immediately denied with finality. For some reason, Siesta let out a sigh of relief.

As soon as we entered the outside dining area we were met with Guiche and Montmorency arguing. What did that brat to this time?

"I told you, it's a misunderstanding!" Guiche pleaded.

"I've heard that line way too many times!" Montmorency yelled. "You're lucky I even took the time to see you because you were begging so much!"

Montmorency then stormed off into the school building with Guiche behind her, his pleas falling on deaf ears.

"Montmorency, please! Listen to what I have to say!"

"At least they are keeping this place lively, right?" Siesta joked. Meanwhile, my face was buried in the palm of my hand.

Elsewhere in the school…

Montmorency poured and mix liquids of various kinds, their combinations resulting in puffs of smoke emanating from the glass. The room she was in had shelves lined with many different potions and other concoctions that looked dangerous and mysterious.

She poured one more vial of liquid, completing her potion as it turned an eerie pink.

"It's done." She said to herself before laughing. "Now Guiche shall have eyes only for me!"

Early that afternoon…

Montmorency was now sitting at a table at the outdoor dining area which was filled with food. She held her potion in her hands as if it were the most precious thing to her.

"Montmorency!" Guiche called out, startling her. She quickly hid the potion under her cloak as Guiche came up behind her.

"Sorry for calling you out here. I… realized how inconsiderate I was and so I thought I'd invite you to lunch to hear you out." Montmorency said.

"I'm happy, Montmorency!" Guiche said, pretending to wipe away tears as he took a seat.

"Well then, why don't we have a toast first before we eat?" Montmorency suggested.

"That sounds wonderful! You truly are brighter and more beautiful than the sun!" Guiche flirted.

'I'm sure you say the same things to every other girl.' Montmorency thought bitterly. As she poured a glass with their drink she sneakily poured her potion in as well. She then handed Guiche the drink before pouring herself a glass which did not have the potion.

Meanwhile, Louise trudged outside sadly with her face long and her gaze cast on the ground.

"Amos left me alone again…" she said to herself. "Why can't he tell me why?"

Her irritation grew and she began rubbing her head with both hands before letting out a frustrated yell. She needed to do something, anything to make herself feel better. Looking over she saw Guiche and Montmorency seated at a table with filled glasses in their hands. Perfect.

Louise immediately marched on over, catching the two's attentions.

"Oh, Louise. What do you need?" Guiche asked.

"I'm taking this!" Louise declared before swiping Guiche's drink out of his hand and chugging it down her throat. Montmorency looked horrified as she was processing what was happening.

'My potion!' she shrieked in her head. When Louise finished drinking, she slammed the glass down on the table.

"Thank you." She said uncaringly before heading back inside the school, leaving Guiche and Montmorency speechless.

….

"Thank you for the lunch, Marteau." I thanked the head chef who was laughing heartily.

"It's good to see you again, 'Our Sword!' Remember, you're always welcomed to come for a bite whenever you want!"

He was still calling me that name, but I didn't feel particularly bothered by it. It was amusing to hear myself called something other than Blaster Blade or Amos.

"Don't you think that name is a bit corny, Head Chef?" Siesta asked sheepishly.

"Of course not!" Marteau replied with pride. "He's a swordsman and stands up to those dumb nobles for us! Therefore, he is 'Our Sword'!"

Siesta laughed at this before turning to me.

"It's good to have you back. I… missed you." She said with slightly flushed cheeks.

"It's good to be back." I agreed as I got up to leave.

"Um," Siesta called, making me stop to look over my shoulder at her. She fidgeted in place for a bit as if she was struggling to speak.

"N-Nevermind!" she finally said before rushing off, leaving me speechless and Marteau's face in his hand.

"That girl… Why can't she just come out and say it already?" Marteau muttered.

"Do you know why she's acting like this?" I asked.

"You can't figure it out just by looking at her? I'll leave you to figure it out." He answered with a wry smile on his face before leaving the room. I shrugged my shoulders as I took my leave as well. Louise should have already woken up by now and I'm sure she was looking for me.

After a few minutes of walking, I had made it to Louise's room. I entered to find her lying on the bed, my presence causing her to jolt up.

"Amos!" she exclaimed.

"Louise." I said. "Is something bothering you?"

"Nothing, it's just that…" she trailed off before her body began to wobble back and forth, her face turning red. Was she sick?

"Are you okay?" I checked as I examined her.

"No…" she said… sadly?

"No?" I repeated. "Should we go see the school nurse?"

"No, no, no!" she resisted before pounding my chest with her fists. "Amos, you idiot!"

Now I'm confused.

"I'm sorry?"

"You always leave me alone at night! Why do you always push me away? Can't you see how much I love you?"

I was sure that my eyes were as wide as saucers by now upon hearing that declaration. Louise was now wailing in my chest and I was struggling to decide on what to do.

I heard the door opened and I saw Montmorency peer inside.

"Oh no, I knew it."

A few minutes later…

Montmorency and I sat down at the table in the room with Louise clinging onto me while sitting on my lap. Guiche was also present since he had followed Montmorency here.

"So the love potion was meant for Guiche?" I asked while glaring over at him. I was disappointed to see that he still had not learned his lesson.

"Yeah, and now Louise is under its effects." Montmorency admitted.

"I'm touched!" Guiche said. "To think you would go so far for my affections…"

"Only because you can't seem to stop flirting with other girls!" Montmorency criticized. Their constant bickering was beginning to annoy me greatly. If he keeps eying other girls then why are you still smitten with him? Teenagers these days…

I think I just implied that I was old.

"Enough." I said sternly, silencing both of them. "So, can you cure her?"

"I could, but I'm missing a key ingredient and it's difficult to obtain." Montmorency replied.

"What is it?"

"A tear of the water spirit."

The water spirit? They have entities like that here?

"I see, so where is this Water Spirit?"

"At Lagdorian Lake in Gallia. It's a few hours from here by horseback." She said. "But I'm not even sure if she will give us the tear. She owes my family a favor, but even still…"

"You have no choice. You're responsible for using an illegal magical substance so unless you want me to report you like I'm supposed to, you will fix this." I reminded her. I normally wouldn't allow things like this to slip, but I understood she was just trying to ensure the one she loves stays loyal to her.

"Fine…" Montmorency gave up. "The day is still young so if we go now we should make it back by nightfall."

"A field trip it is with my Montmorency, how wonderful!" Guiche said with a flick of his hair.

"Very well, let us make haste then."

A few hours later…

It was late that afternoon as we rode onward to Lagdorian Lake. Even as I rode on horseback Louise would simply not let go of me with that desperate look on her face. Even though she was under the potion's effects, did she really mean what she said back there? Did my absence at night really scare her that much? Then there was her saying she… loved me. Not sure how I'm going to deal with that. Anyway, she was now currently asleep as she snuggled up to chest contently.

Eventually, we came up to a very large lake that was strangely in the middle of the road. The horses we rode stood on their hind legs as they narrowly avoided running straight into the water. We got off our horses with me setting down Louise up against a tree so she could stay asleep.

"Is this the lake?" I asked. For some reason, the lake had these things sticking out of it. They looked almost like…

"Are those houses under the water?" Guiche pointed out.

"How strange, Lagdorian Lake is flooded." Montmorency frowned. "If it's flooded then something must be wrong with the Water Spirit."

"How will we meet it?" I asked.

"It should recognize me by my blood." Montmorency explained. "When I learned I had an affinity for water magic, I came here with my father to form a contract with the Spirit. If it remembers, I'm sure it will come."

Montmorency then pulled out a pouch and opened it, taking out small frog.

"Robin here will deliver my blood to the Spirit." She said.

"That is your familiar?" I asked.

"Right. She's small, but she smarter than she looks."

"She is as radiant as you, Montmorency." Guiche flirted. Montmorency merely gave a snort at this before pulling out a needle.

Just as she was about to draw blood, a tower water erupted from the lake.

"W-What?!" Montmorency panicked.

We all backed up as water rained down from the sudden burst. When the water died down, a large blob of water remained in the air. It morphed and changed shape, as if it was trying to form its body.

"It's been a while, Blaster Blade." The blob said. I froze at the mention of my title while Montmorency and Guiche looked at me confusingly.

"Who are you?" I asked the blob.

"You should know, Hero." It said before it finally took shape. Before us was a large transparent figure of a serpentine creature with a narrow head and large limbs. It was undoubtedly a dragon but its appearance brought forth a wave of realization on me.

Impossible. He should be dead!

"Maelstrom?" I managed to let out. "You're alive?"

"You know the Water Spirit, Amos?!" Montmorency gasped in disbelief.

"I am most certainly alive, as you can see." Maelstrom said.

"But you should have died in the war, how did you survive?" I asked.

"Wait a second! What do you mean war?" Montmorency asked in confusion.

"Peace, child. The Hero will explain everything."

"Hero?" Montmorency repeated as she looked at me.

"Louise and I never told this to anyone, but I'm not actually from this world." I said which garnered shocked looks from Montmorency and Guiche.

"What do you mean? That's preposterous!" Guiche flabbergasted.

"Yeah, something like that is unheard of!" Montmorency agreed.

"Believe it or not, that is the fact." I assured them. "Maelstrom is a Dragon from my world who had supposedly died in a war in my world that I too was a part in."

I then looked back to Maelstrom.

"But never would I have imagined that you had survived and become a Water Spirit in this world."

"Yes, I too thought that I had died. After my spirit was taken from my body and placed into another by those dastard Invaders, I was no longer in control of myself. Everything was black until an intense light illuminated around me."

This sounded just like what happened with me!

"So then what happened?" I asked.

"Before me was a dying spirit of water, barely clinging to life. It pleaded to me that I save it, for it refused to die until it had retrieved what had been stolen from it. And so, I did the only thing I could do: I merged with it."

"And by doing so, you are now the Water Spirit." I finished.

"Correct. I have lost my physical body and a large portion of my power and so now I can only live on as the Water Spirit. I must say that this lifestyle is quite boring. I miss the frontlines of battle."

"Wait a minute!" Montmorency interrupted. "You're telling me the Water Spirit was dying and is now merged with you?"

"I am now the Water Spirit and I have taken in its powers and memories. Your face is familiar, Montmorency the Fragrance."

"Then we have something we would like to ask you for, Maelstrom." I stated.

"Ah yes, you want a Tear of the Water Spirit, no?" he deduced. Was looking into minds also a power of the Water Spirit?

"Correct, can you supply us with one?" I asked.

"As I have said, I merged with the original Water Spirit due to its desire to survive until it recovered what was stolen from it. Right now, I am being attacked by unknown assailants that I'm unable to fight back against. It's humiliating, but I'd like to ask you to stop the attacks. Do so, and I'll give you a Tear."

"And in return, you want us to recover what was stolen, right?" I concluded.

"Correct." Maelstrom replied.

"And what was it that was stolen from you, O mighty Water Spirit?" Guiche asked.

"It's called the Ring of Andavari."

"The Ring of Andavari?!" Montmorency gasped.

"You know what it is?" I asked her.

"The Ring of Andavari and is a powerful magic item that has the power to control the dead. In short, it gives them a false life." She explained.

"I see, so that is why it was being protected by the Water Spirit." Guiche understood.

"Do you know who stole it, Maelstrom?" I asked.

"Based on the Water Spirit's memories, it was by a man named Cromwell. That is all."

"We accept the terms." I told Maelstrom.

"Excellent. If it's the Hero, then I have no worries. I expect you will finish quickly." Maelstrom said before his water body receded back into the water, leaving Montmorency and Guiche gaping at me.

"Why does he keep calling you 'Hero'?" Montmorency asked. "Were you some famous knight back where you came from?"

"Your armor and the way you carrier yourself certainly shows you are a seasoned knight." Guiche commented. I was too deep in thought to reply, however. "Hero" I had not been called that in ages. That's right; Maelstrom had supposedly died before he saw what I had become so he still believes that I'm a hero. If only he knew what had happened, then he'd be appalled at me. I was no hero, I was killer who betrayed his comrades who is now trying to redeem himself in vain.

"Amos?" both of the young mages said, snapping me out of my thoughts. Remembering what they asked, I left them with:

"I'm no hero."

Later that night…

We discussed what our best course of action to take was and we decided to wait for the assailants at the Lake, no doubt that they would strike at night. Currently, we were camped in the woods nearby with me and rotating on watch duty. Night had already fallen and we were now prepared for anyone who would pass by. If the attackers were able to harm the Water Spirit even underwater then that would mean that they were likely strong Wind mages since Wind magic is the anti-thesis to Water. Water would be useless against Water and Earth and Fire would simply falter before it.

Louise was still asleep, thankfully. Her constant whining and clinginess would be detrimental to this task. Although…

"How much longer do we have to wait?"

"Shut up, idiot! You're too loud!"

"So are you!"

…these two were still arguing. How they could keep it up was a mystery to me but I was quickly growing thin on patience. Before I could shut them up, however, the bushes across from us rustled followed with unfamiliar footsteps.

"They're here." I whispered. Gesturing for them to follow, we snuck behind the bushes to get closer to the source of the noise. Coming from the bushes across from us were two cloaked figures, on noticeably short and the other much taller. The shorter one held a staff that looked familiar but I couldn't make out too much detail due to the darkness.

"Montmorency, I want you to stay by Louise and support us from afar. Guiche, make a distraction with your Earth magic while I flank them." I ordered both of them, my response being quick nods of their heads.

We got into position just as the cloaked figures raised their wands.

"Now!" I signaled. Guiche then caused a wave of dirt to rise and wash over the perpetrators. However, they were on guard and quickly redirected themselves at it. A union of fire and wind magic swirled together and blasted away the dirt. Guiche then continued to send more waves of dirt that were smaller in size, resulting in the two to figures being kept at bay trying to repel them. With the distraction working, I snuck my way around to their backs, my hand already on Derflinger.

"You ready?" I asked him.

"Always, Partner." he replied. I leapt out from my position and summoned my armor, Derflinger raised above my head for a downward air slash. To my surprise, the smallest of the pair with the large staff whirled around and blasted me with a powerful gust of wind, knocking me back into a tree. I coughed from the impact and stood up to face my foes who now turned their attention to me.

"You okay, Partner?" Derflinger asked.

"Fine." I said. "I didn't expect my presence to be noticed so easily."

Just then, the moonlight moved ever so slightly to shine down on the face part of the hooded people, the lower halves of their faces now visible. With me being much closer, I could now make out more details which made me widen my eyes in surprise.

"Tabitha? Kirche?"

"What?" Guiche gasped.

"Darling?" Kirche said as she and Tabitha removed their hoods. "What are you doing here?"

"That's what I want to ask you. Why are you and Tabitha here? Are you the ones attacking the Water Spirit?" I asked.

"Well…" Kirche started. She looked like she was struggling to find the right words to say. "Tabitha's family asked her to. The water is rising every day and is damaging their territory so…"

"I see." Guiche said. "But surely there's other ways than attacking an Elemental, no?"

"You have any better ideas?" Kirche asked.

"The Spirit is flooding the land because something was stolen from it." I informed.

"What was stolen?" Tabitha asked.

"According to the Spirit, the Ring of Andavari." Montmorency said as she came out of the woods with a sleeping Louise on her back. Tabitha's eyes widened in shock at this information.

"What's that?" Kirche asked. And so, Montmorency explained what it was to her.

"I get it." She confirmed.

"We should tell the Spirit that no more attacks will be held and ask it to lower the water level." Montmorency suggested.

"Agreed."

As if on que, the same pillar of water erupted from the lake, leaving the form of Maelstrom in its wake.

"No need for that, young mages." He said. "I heard everything."

"Maelstrom." I greeted.

"Thanks for your efforts. I believe I owe you a tear, right?" Maelstrom said before a small light emerged from his body and into Montmorency's hands, leaving behind a small vial filled with a blue substance.

"Thank you." I thanked.

"No need for that." Maelstrom waved off. "I trust you'll bring back the Ring. After all, you ARE the Hero of Cray and on top of that, the Gandalfr. How fitting."

"That's not true! I'm… no hero." I trailed off.

"What do you mean?" Maelstrom said before pausing, his glowing ethereal eyes narrowing. "You… your soul is heavy."

"Wait a minute!" Kirche interrupted. "What's this all about, Amos?" Kirche asked.

"We don't know ourselves." Montmorency said.

"Amos and the Water Spirit both come from another world apparently and knew each other." Guiche informed. "The spirit's name is Maelstrom and Amos is a Hero from his world, or so we're told."

"Oh come on, that's ridiculous! Right, Tabitha?" Kirche said as she looked to Tabitha.

"It's possible." Tabitha disagreed.

"Huh? You actually believe that?" Kirche pouted.

"Your name is Amos? Ha! Now I see. To think that the Hero would fall so far… I've missed a lot since I came here."

"What do you mean?" Kirche asked Maelstrom.

"You will find out in due time, child." Maelstrom hinted. "Until then, farewell. I'll be watching you, Blaster Blade…"

With that, Maelstrom sunk back into the lake laughing as it began to shrink slowly.

"I think I should get to work on the antidote…" Montmorency said awkwardly to break the silence.

"Antidote for what?" Kirche questioned.

"For Louise. She drank a love potion." Guiche said.

"Hahaha! Valliere drank a love potion of all things? I didn't know she was so desperate." Kirche mocked.

After a few minutes, Montmorency finished the antidote and had Louise drink it. I had to convince her to drink it, however, since she kept disobeying everyone but me. And well...

"I CAN"T BELIEVE I WAS DOING ALL THAT!"

Apparently, she remembered everything she had been doing. At least she's back to normal. Honestly, things could have been worse.

"Calm down, Louise." I reasoned.

"A-A-Amos! I-I!" she stuttered while her face was beet red. I raised a finger to her lips to silence her.

"I heard nothing, okay?" I was referring to when she was first under the effects of the potion at her room, when she declared she loved me.

"S-Still!"

"What happened, Valliere?" Kirche asked curiously.

"Nothing! Nothing at all!" Louise quickly denied.

"Can we go back now? I'm exhausted…" Guiche whined.

"Yes, let's go." I agreed.

Louise's Room

It was late, but we had returned back to the Academy quickly thanks to Tabitha's dragon, Sylphid. I was impressed with its speed as even most dragons back on Cray couldn't fly that fast. Louise was still stammering over her actions while under the love potion's effects, my attempts to calm her down in vain.

"My reputation is ruined! I bet that Zerbst is spreading rumors right now!" she panicked.

"Calm down, she won't do that." I told her.

"How do you know? Actually, why are you even taking that wench's side?"

I sighed at her counter-arguments as she has been thinking up of things to say against whatever I throw at her.

"So missy," Derflinger spoke up. "Did you really mean it when you said you loved him? Love potions tend to bring out the truth in people y'know!"

Louise turned red as a tomato at this.

"S-Shut up you stupid sword!" she yelled before throwing a cup at him. I caught it mid-air.

"Calm down, Louise." I repeated.

"I WILL NOT!" she denied like a child. This was going to be a long night.

Just then, the windows opened and a familiar hooded figure flew in.

"Your highness?" I said as Henrietta lifted her hood off her head.

"Princess, what are you doing here?" Louise asked.

"You're as rowdy as ever, Louise Francoise." Henrietta said with a smile before her expression turned serious. "Actually, I have something I'd like to request both of you…"

Somewhere…

The room was dark and was lit only by the candles that were lined up on the walls. It looked like a throne room with an ornate purple carpet leading up to the throne itself. A man who was covered by the dark sat upon it, a certain purple ring worn on his finger. Before him was Fouquet and the person who freed her from prison, his features also hidden by the darkness.

"The time has come at last…" the person who sat on the throne said. "Now go and carry out your assignments."

"As you wish, Lord Cromwell." Fouquet said before leaving with the man who helped her escape imprisonment. As they left, an eerie black ring with a red outline glowed behind the throne. The man on the throne smiled at its presence.

"Everything is going according to plan… Nebula Lord." He said. The black ring's light flared for a moment as if it were pleased. A deep, monotone voice then spoke as if it were a hollow being or a machine.

"Kill the Prince. For the Void."

A/N: I apologize if things feel a bit weird for the last bit for the Tavern part. No matter what I did it just wouldn't feel right to me so I had to eventually settle for something. Hope it wasn't too bad.